A fluid flow process (flow process) includes any process that involves the flow of fluid through pipes, ducts, or other conduits, as well as through fluid control devices such as pumps, valves, orifices, heat exchangers, and the like. Flow processes are found in many different industries such as the oil and gas industry, refining, food and beverage industry, chemical and petrochemical industry, pulp and paper industry, power generation, pharmaceutical industry, and water and wastewater treatment industry. The fluid within the flow process may be a single phase fluid (e.g., gas, liquid or liquid/liquid mixture) and/or a multi-phase mixture (e.g. paper and pulp slurries or other solid/liquid mixtures). The multi-phase mixture may be a two-phase liquid/gas mixture, a solid/gas mixture or a solid/liquid mixture, gas entrained liquid or a three-phase mixture.
Operation of a flow process often requires that various aspects of the process be monitored, controlled, and/or diagnosed. For example, monitoring tasks may include observing and/or recording various parameters of the process. These parameters may include consistency of the fluid, composition of the fluid, mass flow rate of the fluid, volumetric flow rate of the fluid, among others. Control tasks may include adjusting operating parameters of various devices in the flow process based on the monitored parameters. For example, pump speed or valve position may be adjusted based on flow rate, composition of the fluid, and the like.
Many industrial plants and processes also have a need to monitor various machinery for failures, malfunction and/or maintenance problems. In particular, it is desirable to predict when various components, devices or equipment (e.g., motors, fans, pumps, generators, engines, gears, belts, drives, pulleys, hangers, clamps, actuators, valves, meters, etc.) within a plant or process are in need of maintenance, repair or replacement. Such diagnostic monitoring and prediction for industrial machinery can reduce or eliminate flow process shutdown time and thereby reduce operating expenses.
Typically, the monitoring, control, and/or diagnosis of a flow process is performed using numerous meters, each performing a single function. For example, flow meters are used to monitor fluid flow, temperature gages are used to monitor fluid temperature, and pressure sensors are used to measure fluid temperature. Because each meter performs a single function, monitoring, control, and/or diagnosis of the flow process requires the use of many different meters.
Modern flow processes may implement a Distributed Control System (DCS) architecture, in which signals indicative of the parameter sensed by each meter are provided to a central processor, which may record and display the parameters. The DCS architecture may further be arranged to provide control signals to various devices in the flow process in response to the signals from the meters. One commercially available DCS architecture is manufactured by Emerson Corporation under the trade name of Plant Web® (www.plantweb.com). While such DCS architectures are effective in monitoring and controlling flow processes, a large number of meters in the flow process can burden the central processor. Therefore, it is desirable to decrease the number of meters in the flow process.
In addition, typical meters are invasive. That is, they are installed such that they extend through piping into contact with the fluid in the flow process. As a result, installation or maintenance of the meter often requires at least a portion of the flow process to be isolated. Therefore, it is desirable to have a meter that is easily installed.